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A Sampling of G&B Buko Pie and Pancit Cabagan in Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya

On the national highway of Bagabag, Nueva Vizcaya, Tutubi's driver prodded him to stop and sample the best buko pie (pie made from buco, young coconuts) in town to which he acceded to the request.

The driver parked the car in front of a small restaurant named G&B Noodle Station, with many other vehicles parked nearby, to buy a famous pasalubong of the province that even buses, on the request of passengers, stop to buy the stuff in boxes.

Sampling the buco pie, Tutubi tasted hints of cheese and milk, a recipe quite different from those sold in Laguna, particularly Los Banos' Orient Original Buko Pie but equally good.

photo of G&B buco pie. The pie is about 6 inches in diameter and 3/4" thick.

fresh buko juice to wash down the buko pie and later the pancit

Similar though to Orient Original buko pie is the so called "Original" syndrome where all buko pie vendors in Laguna now put the word "original" in their own "trademarks" to confuse buyers unaware of the authentic original. In Nueva Vizcaya, you can see buko pie vendors boarding buses selling pies with the same, almost identical, colors of G&B buko pies, the reason why at G&B, there's a sign warning unknowing people that they only sell their pies at their store and ambulant vendors boarding buses sell G&B buko pie clones are not sanctioned.

Looking at the menu plastered on the walls of the street side restaurant, the picture of pancit cabagan tickled the curiosity of Tutubi that triggered his ordering the local version of pancit that originated in Cabagan town of Isabela. Tutubi's driver told him the authentic version of Cabagan pancit comes with raw egg smothered on the wheat noodles the same way Filipinos do with sisig.

pancit cabagan in all it's goodness.

G&B's version of pancit cabagan comes with pieces of hard-boiled eggs. The pancit version is named after Cabagan town of Isabela where the noodles are made, similar to the naming of pancit bato in Bicol named after Bato town of Camarines Sur.

G&B Buko pie costs P40/box and usually bundled in boxes of three for P120.On the way to Isabela, Tutubi bought one box to sample and later bought three boxes on his way back to Manila as pasalubong.

Question: should you happen to sample both, can you give your opinion on which is the best buko pie out there? Or do you have other pies in mind?
You may visit G&B official website for history and contact telephone numbers.

How to get to G&B Noodle Station:

Commuters riding buses to/from Isabela, Tuguegarao or Banaue will just have to ask drivers and conductors to make a brief stop at the place. Oftentimes, you don't have for chances are other passengers already requested a stop-over at the place.

if you want to have a taste of delicious buko pies, visit Celine's Buko Pie at National Highway, Brgy. San Roque, San Rafael, Bulacan. It's equally deicious, some say, but I say, it's better and a little thicker.

hi guys, i found a place here in manila, along visayas avenue infront of yellow cab pizza, you can buy a buko pie there, it's the same with g&b, it costs 50 pesos, the name of the store is DJV Special Buko Pie :D